This is definitely one of those "if you squint at it, it could be racist" borderline comments. I feel that the problem with these comments is that it normalizes the acceptance of alienness as untrustworthy. That may have been true in society a long time ago, but with a global economy, this is a dangerous thought. It also has effects outside of commerce, such as marginalizing people with hard to pronounce or funny looking names. It's a subtle effect that may not have much impact in individual instances, but in aggregate can be very strong.
